Mechanical stoker.



N1 %TE% ATENT FFTQEQ JOSHUA BATTEER, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASfiIGNOR T0 OSCAR BARNETT FOUNDRY COMPANY, A. CORPORATION" OF NEWJERSEY.

MECHANICAL STOKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed. October 4, 1913. Serial No. 793,279.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSHUA BATTEER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Mechanical Stokers,of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to pro I vide in a mechanical stokerimproved means for preventing rip-passage of air at the inner or rearend of the traveling grate and yet permitting the discharge of ashes andclinkers rearward over'saidmeans; to secure greater efliciency by thuspreventing such up-passage of air where there is no combustion; toobtain such improved means which will not burn out or be melted by theheat; to restrict movement of said means away from the grate inoperation of the stocker, so that it will neither admit air or burn; tosecure such means which will serve as a scraper to clean the grate barsas they pass beneath; to provide for these purposes the bridge bardescribed herein, and to obtain other advantages and results as may bebrought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a stoker embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a bridge bar showing'its front and top,and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bridge bar from the front turnedbottom up.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in saiddrawings, 1 indicates one of a pair of opposite parallel housingsadapted to project from the front plate of a furnace (not shown) andextend upward from the floor. The front shaft 2 of the traveling grateis mounted in said housings, and the grate extends horizontally rearwardtherefrom over a rear shaft 3 journaled in bearings a supported by upperrails 5 which extend from said housings and preferably continue beyondsaid rear shaft to the bridge wall of the furnace (not shown). Theserails 5 are preferably of channel iron arranged each with its flangesdirected inward toward the other, and said rails are suitably secured tothe housings and bridge wall as well as supported by intermediateuprights 6. Beneath the upper rails 5 are lower rails 7 preferably ofangle iron,

The traveling grate I have shown comprlses endless chains at itsopposite lateral edges between which extend the transverse grate bars 8,as is common in the art, and the said chains run over propelling orsprocketwheels upon the front shaft 2, and over large peddler wheels 10on the rear shaft 3 which are simply grooved at their peripheries toreceive the chains. Intermediate of the front and rear shafts 2 and 3rods 9 extend between the uppe side rails 5, and upon these rods 9 areloosely mounted peripherally grooved peddler wheels 11 which are smallerthan the said peddler wheels 10 upon the rear shaft so as to lie betweenthe upper and lower reaches of the chain grates and support the upperreach.

Between the rear or inner end portions of the upper side rails 5 and insubstantially the same horizontal plane therewith is arranged the dumpplate frame 12, extending from the bridge wall forward nearly to thetraveling grate and closely fitted at its rear and end edges to the saidbridge wall and the side walls of the furnace so as to preventlip-passage of air or draft. This dump-plate frame 12 is bolted to theside rails 5 or otherwise suitably supported, and in it is hingedlymounted the dump-plate 13. This dump plate is preferably hinged alongits rear edge to the under part of the frame 12 and closes upwardagainst the under side of the frame, as shown, by any suitable operatingmeans. For purposes of illustration, I have shown an inverted U-shapedmember 14 pivoted at the ends of its arms upon the uprights 6 andprovided at its top with a roller 15 adapted to wedgingly force thedump-plate closed as the member is swung forward and to allow it to openwhen swung rearward, such swinging being effected by a connecting rod 16extending forward through the ash pit to a crank 17 in one of thehousings 1 and adapted to receive outside the same a lever 18.

The bridge bar 19 in which the present invention more particularlyinheres, extends forwardly from the dump-plate frame 12 and overlies theend of the traveling grate, being preferably disposed above or at theupper side of said parts. This bridge bar is shown as extending fromside to side of the stoker, normally resting at its ends upon the upperside rails 5, and with its front edge adjacent the grate surface. Thetop of the bridge bar preferably slopes up wardly rearward, as at 20, sothat ashes will bank against the front edge of the bridge bar andprotect the same, and said top is preferably socketed as at 21 orotherwise suitably formed to receive fire brick 22 or the like. The rearedge of the bridge bar is shown upright or nearly vertical andprojecting considerably above the clump-plate frame 12, so that theashes have quite a drop to the dump-plate as they are pushed over thebridge bar.

In these drawings I have shown the front edge of the dump-plate frameproviding at its upper part a rib 23 and at the front side of the baseof said rib a horizontal flange 24. The bridge bar itself has in itsbottom and near its rear edge a longitudinal groove or recess adapted toreceive the said rib 23, as shown in Fig. 1. Preferably, this rib doesnot fit so tightly in the groove but that a slight rocking motion of thebridge bar is possible, such for instance, as would allow its front edgeto move up and down an inch, more or less. The bridge bar I have shownmade in a single casting cut away at its bottom, to save metal, andleaving transverse ribs or braces 25 which preferably alternate inposition with the partitions 26 between the fire brick recesses at thetop of the bridge bar. It will be understood, however, that the bridgebar may be otherwise manufactured as may suggest itself to anyoneskilled in the art, and I do not wish to be understood as restrictingmyself herein except as set forth in the following claims when construedin the light of the prior art.

In operation, the bridge bar not only arrests at its front edge theashes and elinkers being carried rearward by the traveling grate, so asto force the same upward over the bridge bar and so to the dump-plate,after burying the bridge bar so that it will not be burned out, but saidbridge bar also at its front edge acts as a scraper to clean the gratebars of any clinkers adhering thereto. Such cleaning is effected by agrinding and pulverizing of the clinkers between the grate bars and thefront edge of the bridge bar, so that when thus pulverized they falldown through the interstices of the grate into the ash pit. Furthermore,it will be noted that by the use of my invention no space or opening isprovided for draft or the up-passage of air back of the traveling grateitself.

Having thus described the invention, what adapted to travel at its upperend in a substantial plane, of a bridge bar extending the width of saidgrate at the rear end thereof and pivotally supported at its rear edgewith its forward edge resting at the ends upon said side rails andproviding between said ends a space between the bridge bar and grate,whereby the bridge bar is free to rise and act by gravity upon clinkersforced beneath it and its weight at other times is taken by the siderails 2. In a stoker, the combination with side rails and a gratebetween said side rails adapted to travel at its upper end in asubstantial plane, of a bridge bar extending the width of said grate atthe rear end thereof and pivotally supported at its rear edge with itsforward edge resting at the ends upon said side rails and recessedupwardly between said ends to form a space between the bridge bar andgrate, whereby the bridge bar is free to rise and act by gravity uponclinker-s forced beneath it and its weight at other times is taken bythe side rails.

3. In a stoker, the combination with an endless grate, of a bridge barextending the width of said grate impervious to the passage of air andhaving a longitudinal series of pockets or recesses at its upper andlower surfaces separated by transverse upper and lower partitionsalternating or staggered with respect to each other, whereby the metalis distributed and radiation of heat facilitated. I

4. In a stoker, the combination with an endless grate and a dump plateframe at the rear end thereof providing at its side next the grate anupwardly projecting rib, of a bridge member adapted to extend at itsforward edge over the grate and chambered or recessed at its under sidewith transverse partitions cut away at their rear ends to receive saidrib of the dump plate frame and pivotally support the bridge memberthereon.

5. In a stoker, the combination with an endless grate and a dump plateframe at the rear end thereof providing at its side next the grate anupwardly projecting rib with a lateral flange projecting forwardlytherefrom at a distance below its upper edge, of a bridge member adaptedto extend at its forward edge over the grate and chambered or recessedat its under side with transverse partitions cut away at their rear endsto receive said rib of the dump plate frame I and rest upon the saidlateral flange thereof.

JOSHUA BATTEER. Witnesses:

ERNEST E. 'PREVOST, J OSEPH H. TAULAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. i

